


Stablekept: SBURB is Magic

by comicalArchitect



Category: Homestuck, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-26
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-03 12:15:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5290322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/comicalArchitect/pseuds/comicalArchitect
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a mission from Princess Celestia, the Elements of Harmony play a mysterious game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Die is Cast

A youngish mare stands in her bedroom. It just so happens that today, the 6 of June, 1006, is this kinda-young mare’s birthday. Though it was years ago she was given life, it is only today she will be given a name!

What will the name of this college-aged mare be?

**> HOOFSTENCH TURDCLOWN**

No.

**> TWILIGHT SPARKLE**

Much better!

Your name is TWILIGHT SPARKLE. As was previously mentioned it is your BIRTHDAY. A number of BOOKS are scattered about your room. You have a variety of INTERESTS. You have a passion for RESEARCH, particularly in the area of HISTORY. You are a princess but you are NOT VERY GOOD AT IT. You have a fondness for MAGICAL LORE, and are an aspiring GREATEST MAGICIAN IN EQUESTRIA. (Actually, you’re pretty much third or fourth already.) You also like to hang out with your FRIENDS sometimes.

What will you do?

**> Pick up a book.**

You grab COLONEL SADDLECRE’S DAUNTING TEXT OF MAGICAL FRIVOLITY AND PRACTICAL JAPERY. You picked up this rare volume for its magical tips, but FRIVOLITY was correct—all the spells it contains are amateurish and useless. Your friend PINKIE PIE has requested to borrow it for its other contents, however.

**> Take book to Pinkie Pie.**

Before you can even get out of your room, though, you overhear your DRACONIC ASSISTANT, whose name is SPIKE, violently retching downstairs.

**> Go help your ailing assistant.**

You fly downstairs and see Spike doubled over. He coughs loudly, until a somewhat large package falls out of his mouth.

**> Examine package.**

The package is marked with PRINCESS CELESTIA’s royal seal, so you know it’s important. She’s never sent you anything more than a letter before, though.

**> Open the fillyfooling package already!**

That was rude. But okay. You open the package. On top, there is a scroll.

**> Read the scroll.**

What are you talking about? You never read letters yourself. You instruct Spike to read it aloud.

SPIKE: Dear Princess Twilight, I am calling upon the aid of you and your friends in the investigation of something rather strange discovered recently. Allow me to start at the beginning. You see, famed explorer Daring Do recently stumbled upon a mysterious yellow temple in a heretofore-unexplored part of the Everfree Forest. Inside, there was a series of hieroglyphs in a language nopony could recognize. However, with a combination magic and cryptography, researchers at Canterlot University were able to decipher the symbols. They discovered that it translated perfectly into Uneighx, the language used by the experimental computing devices also created at CU (in whose development I know you’ve been invested). The program created by the symbols, when executed, seems to have reality-altering properties. It summoned huge, confusing machinery, rearranged buildings, and, more alarmingly, perfectly predicted the arrival of a small meteor impact! It is suspected that the program (which researchers have dubbed SBURB) actually caused the meteor impact, and furthermore, that it is the source of several incoming meteors astronomers (yes, also at CU) have detected. We need you and the other Elements of Harmony to run the program and figure out what secrets it holds, what dangers it poses, and, potentially, what rewards it may bear. Included in this package are six copies of SBURB (the program consists of two parts, each on a separate disc) and six portable computers to run them on. You will also find a strange, ink-stained volume. It has been sitting in the Royal Archives for hundreds of years, and we now realize that the mysterious instructions therein pertain to SBURB. It should prove most useful to you. Finally, I have included six sylladices, experimental storage technologies created at, you guessed it, Canterlot University. Each consists of two parts: a Captchalogue Deck, which allows you to store items and retrieve them at will, and a Strife Deck, which allows you to summon a weapon of your choice whenever you need it. Each sylladex has been customized specifically for one of you. I have included these both for their obvious utility, and because SBURB seems to somehow know they exist and have factored them into its functionality. Twilight, I know you more than anypony cares about discovering the unknown and bringing secrets forth into the world. That’s why I’m entrusting you with this (and also because there are meteors coming that the other princesses and I have to deal with). Sincerely, Princess Celestia.

Spike runs off, comes back with a glass of water, and gulps it down.

SPIKE: Wow, Twi, that sounds amazing! We need to get these to the others!

**> Carry out your mission.**

You nod at Spike and fly out the door, package in hooves.


	2. What in Tarnation

A young-adult mare stands in her bedroom. What will her name be?

**> REDNECK TRASH**

Ex _cuse_ me?

**> APPLEJACK**

Now that’s a smidge more like it.

Your name is APPLEJACK. You operate your family’s apple orchard, SWEET APPLE ACRES. You have a variety of INTERESTS. You compete in RODEOS on a semi-frequent basis, and have many a BLUE RIBBON to show for it. You enjoy BAKING, though you only know how to make APPLE-BASED DISHES. While you don’t like to make a big deal out of it, you play both the FIDDLE and the BANJO.

What will you do?

**> Eat an apple.**

You guess an apple never hurt anypony. (Well, except for GREAT AUNT GRENADIER, but that was a long time ago.) You grab a RED DELICIOUS, your old standby favorite. You take three large bites, leaving just a CORE, which you promptly throw away.

**> We know how apples work.**

Sheesh, no need to be so rude.

**> Step outside.**

You step outside to get some fresh AIR. You can feel your BLOOD flowing. You look out at your orchard. Today seems like it’s going to be a SPECIAL DAY.

Sure enough, your friend TWILIGHT SPARKLE descends from the sky and lands right next to you, carrying a cardboard box.

APPLEJACK: What’s in the box?

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: That’s what I need to talk to you about. It’s something Princess Celestia wants us to investigate.

APPLEJACK: It looks like… actually I have no idea what it looks like.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: You know the computing machines Canterlot University has been developing?

APPLEJACK: I remember you talkin’ all our ears off about them.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Well, Daring Do recently found a mysterious code in the Everfree Forest, and when the code is executed on a computer, it has reality-altering properties. Celestia wants us to test the code and figure out how it works.

APPLEJACK: Uhh…

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Look, the computers have a program installed on them that’ll let us communicate with one another from afar, so I’ll talk you through it. Celestia gave me a book with instructions.

APPLEJACK: Why don’t we all just do it together?

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: That doesn’t sound like the best idea. From what I’ve heard, this program is dangerous. If we’re all in the same place, it means we could all be taken out at once.

APPLEJACK: Why exactly are we doing this again?

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Two reasons. One, Celestia thinks it might be summoning a bunch of meteors to the planet. Two, she also thinks it could potentially yield some benefits for Equestria.

APPLEJACK: Sounds like a lot of horseapples, if you ask me. But if Celestia says so, then I’ll do it.

TWILIGHT: Great. We should probably get this going pretty fast, though, so could you deliver some of this stuff to Pinkie and Fluttershy? I’ll get Rainbow and Rarity.

**> Nod in agreement.**

Twilight gives you three doohickeys, three whatchamacallits, and six thingamabobs.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Go ahead and drop off your share of that stuff in your house.

She flies off.

**> Go to Fluttershy’s house.**

You load up your saddlebags with crazy future junk, and run off in the direction of Fluttershy’s.


	3. Totally Radical

There's this really cool mare, ok? She's standing around being all chill, like cool mares are known to do sometimes. A cool mare like this probably has a real cool name. But she probably wouldn't just tell you what it was if you asked. She'd be way too busy for that. Busy being totally sweet.

But you could always try to guess her name. And if you were right, she might nod ever so slightly. That's a cool mare’s way of letting you know there might just be hope for you yet.

**> INTOLERABLE JERK**

This mare doesn’t have time for this sort of horseapples.

**> RAINBOW DASH**

Your name is RAINBOW DASH. It is an UNSEASONABLY COOL June day. Arguable even more cool would be your WIN RECORD, which brings us to your variety of INTERESTS. A cool mare like you is sure to have plenty. You have a penchant for spinning out UNBELIEVABLY ILL MOVES on the flying course. You like to rave about DARING DO, a fictional explorer who turned out to be real. For a living, you manipulate the weather by physically pushing clouds around.

What will you do?

**> Examine Dirk Strider poster.**

On your wall hangs a poster of DIRK STRIDER, one of eight NAKED APES from a cool series of books called MY LITTLE NAKED APE. Dirk is by far the best.

He is just so smooth. <3

**> Go do some rad stunts.**

You figure it’s never a bad time to practice. You fly out the front door of your AWESOME CLOUD HOUSE and do a BARREL ROLL. It’s very sloppy; you didn’t get much SLEEP last NIGHT. You were at one of DJ-PON3’s raves, having the time of your LIFE.

Anyway, you crash into your friend Twilight Sparkle.

**> Apologize.**

RAINBOW DASH: Oh, sorry Twi. What’re you doing up here, anyway?

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: We have a mission from Princess Celestia.

RAINBOW DASH: Alright, shoot.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Well, Daring Do recently—

RAINBOW DASH: Daring Do’s involved?!

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Yeah. So as I was saying—

RAINBOW DASH: When’s she getting here?!

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: She’s not coming.

RAINBOW DASH: Aww, Twi?! Why you gotta get my hopes up like that?!

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: If you would _let me finish_ …

RAINBOW DASH: Yeah, okay…

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: As I was saying, Daring Do recently discovered a crazy yellow frog-shaped temple in the Everfree Forest. But here’s the crazy part: the hieroglyphs in the temple somehow translated _perfectly_ into Uneighx, the code used in the computing machines that Canterlot University is developing!

RAINBOW DASH: And why, should we care, about any of this?

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: I’m glad you asked. When executed, the hieroglyph code has reality-altering properties, and may be linked to incoming _meteor impacts_! Celestia wants us to test it out and figure out what its purpose is, and what we can gain from it.

RAINBOW DASH: Alright, I was wrong. This. Sounds. _Awesome_!

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: I figured you’d say that. Take this computer, these discs, and this thing called a sylladex. I’ll contact you through the computer and provide instructions.

RAINBOW DASH: Alright.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: I’ve gotta go find Rarity. Wait for instructions.

RAINBOW DASH: Yes, ma’am, your majesty, ma’am.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: *sigh*

She flies off.


	4. Crashes #2 and #3

**> Twilight: Find Rarity.**

You fly off in the direction of Carousel Boutique. But about a third of the way there, something suddenly knocks you out of the air. You are dazed, but you come to your senses quickly. When you do, you see a familiar blue mare in a starry purple hat and cape.

**> Fly off.**

You groan at Trixie and prepare to take to the sky again, but she tells you to wait. She seems… genuinely concerned.

**> Hear her out.**

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: This had better be good.

TRIXIE: There’s something I need to give you.

Trixie pulls a strange dark blue amulet out of her hat and holds it up to you.

**> Inquire further.**

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Why do you want to give _me_ this?

TRIXIE: I couldn’t think of anyone else! I just found it on the ground one day, and I don’t wanna get involved with another amulet! Remember last time?!

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: You just found this on the ground.

TRIXIE: Yes!

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Where?

TRIXIE: The Everfree Forest…

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: _Deep_ in the Everfree Forest?

TRIXIE: Kinda…

**> Facehoof.**

You facehoof rather hard.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: And you didn’t think to lead with that part?

TRIXIE: I… didn’t think it was important.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Do you have any idea what this amulet _does_?

TRIXIE: No! Like I said, I don’t want to use another amulet, of any type, ever again!

**> Take amulet and leave.**

You take the amulet (without putting it on of course) and begin to fly off, but when you are about two feet off the ground, you feel a sudden impact. Again.

**> See who it is this time.**

It’s Pinkie Pie.

PINKIE PIE: Twilight! I gotta tell you about the _craziest_ dream I had last night!

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Pinkie, I really don’t have time for this. I’ve gotta deliver a package to Rarity. And you need to get back home; Applejack’s coming by with the same package for you!

PINKIE PIE: Why don’t you just give it to me, then, since we’re here together already?

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Because then Applejack—Rarity wouldn’t—ugh, fine. Take it.

**> Give Pinkie Pie package.**

PINKIE PIE: Wowee! What _is_ all this stuff?

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: That will be very hard to explain. Just go ahead and get the dream thing out of the way; we have more important things to talk about.

PINKIE PIE: Ooh, right, my dream! So I was in this weird gold tower, wearing this weird gold robe, and I could fly!

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Uh-huh. Is that it?

PINKIE PIE: Nah, I’ve been having those dreams for months now! _Here’s_ the weird part. I looked up in the sky from my window, and in the clouds, I saw you giving me this crazy package right here!

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: So you get Pinkie Sense in your sleep now. Did you see anything else?

PINKIE PIE: Yeah! There was this die rolling, but before it could land, a coin that was rolling on its side came out of nowhere and hit it. I woke up before I saw what the die landed on, though. But I’m sure it doesn’t matter.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: O…kay.

PINKIE PIE: So what is this weird stuff, anyway?

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: I’ll explain later. I can use… the biggest weird thing to contact you. Go home and wait for that.

PINKIE PIE: Youuuu got it, Twilight!

She pronks away speedily.


	5. Tangled Web

**> Twilight: Sort out this situation.**

Alright. So Applejack might be going to Fluttershy’s, or she might be going to Pinkie Pie’s, OR she might have already gone to Fluttershy’s and is going to Pinkie Pie’s now, OR she arrived at Pinkie’s, saw she wasn’t home, and is still waiting there, OR she left Pinkie Pie’s after seeing she wasn’t there, is going to Fluttershy’s now, and is going to stop at Pinkie Pie’s again afterwards, OR something else stopped her on the way and she’s off-track entirely—

Okay, listing the possibilities isn’t going to help you any more. Time to list the basic facts. Applejack has stuff Rarity needs and doesn’t realize it—wait, the sylladices are customized! Pinkie Pie has a sylladex made for Rarity! And—wait—Pinkie took the whole box, and the book from Celestia was in there!

**> Take a deep breath.**

You take a deep breath. Time to take action instead of panicking. But where to go?

**> Go to Sugarcube Corner.**

You fly off in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. You make it there without being stopped.

**> Go in.**

You go in.

**> Find Pinkie.**

You can’t do that, silly! Why? Because you’re not Twilight anymore, DUH!

A silly mare bounces around her kitchen. It is quite likely that she has riled herself up with a variety of silly antics, as silly girls are often known to do. She may have a silly name too. Or maybe not. It is hard to say for sure without asking her. But since she’s having so much fun, it would be a shame to stop her. You might as well just giver her a name right now.

**> HAYFACE RUMPSTINK**

The mare bursts out laughing. She apparently really likes this name.

???: Yes, yes, yes! My name is Hayface Rumpstink!

Uh…

I guess…

I guess her name is Hayface.

???: Okay, just kidding, it’s not really! But I _wish_ it was!

**> PINKIE PIE**

???: Yep!

Your name is PINKIE PIE. You have just come down from a hearty rumpus, and as usual, you have no recollection of why you did it. You have quite a number of INTERESTS. So many in fact, you have trouble keeping track of them all. Nevertheless, when you spend time in your KITCHEN, which is also your workplace, the only thing on your mind is your deep passion for BAKING.

What will you do?

**> Bake some cupcakes.**

Mmm, some cupcakes sound SCRUMPTIOUS right now! But you’ve got no time for that. Twilight’s about to come by!

**> Wait for it.**

Just a few more seconds…

**> Greet Twilight.**

You pronk over to your friend TWILIGHT SPARKLE, who has just entered.

PINKIE PIE: Hey Twilight! Applejack came by already, but I sent her to Rarity’s since I had already gotten the crazy future junk from you. Well, except I switched out one thingy for a thingy like it Applejack had, since the one I had had Rarity’s cutie mark on it and the one she had had mine! Also, I realized you would probably want this book that was in the package. It’s aaaalllll taken care of!

Twilight is struck speechless. She shuffles out the door and flies away without a single word.

PINKIE PIE: Well nice to see you too!


	6. It's Fluttershy's Introduction, Okay?

Yet another mare in her early twenties stands in her room. What will her name be?

**> NOT EVEN GONNA TRY THIS TIME**

Incorrect.

**> WE ALL KNOW IT’S EITHER FLUTTERSHY OR RARITY. JUST GET ON WITH IT.**

No.

**> FINE. RARITY.**

Wrong again.

**> FLUTTERSHY. Your name is FLUTTERSHY. You have a variety of—**

Know your place, reader.

Your name is FLUTTERSHY. You really only have one major INTEREST, which is the care of ANIMALS. You scrape your income together here and there as a VETERINARIAN, PET-SITTER, PET STORE OWNER, and BIRD CHOIR DIRECTOR. You are a RATHER GOOD SINGER yourself, but you don’t do it in public very often. Most of your time is occupied by WORK, but when you’re NOT working, you are usually spending time with your FRIENDS.

What will you do?

**> Have your birds join you in a rousing musical number.**

Oh, you couldn’t POSSIBLY ask them to do that for no good reason! No, you’ll hum quietly to yourself, and maybe they’ll choose to join in.

**> Hum a rousing melody. Quietly.**

You start to hum, and sure enough, the birds join in. This pleases you.

Just then, you hear a knock on the door.

**> Answer Applejack.**

SOMEONE’s feeling presumptuous today.

**> Answer door.**

You open the door and see, of all people, APPLEJACK.

APPLEJACK: Twilight told me to drop this messed-up tech stuff off at your place. She’ll use it to contact you and tell you what to do with it.

FLUTTERSHY: Oh…um…okay.

APPLEJACK: Don’t ask me what it’s for. I couldn’t understand a word of the mumbo jumbo Twilight told me about it.

FLUTTERSHY: I won’t.

Applejack leaves.

**> Assess the situation and your feelings regarding it.**

Oh—oh dear. You suppose you’re rather confused. You have no idea what any of this is for, and even though you trust Twilight, you’re worried about what it might do, or what you might have to do with it.

**> Throw yourself into your work as a distraction.**

Good idea. You start by serving BREAKFAST to all the ANIMALS currently under your care. This takes about an HOUR, and you are out of BREATH by the time you are almost finished. As an end to your work, you give your bunny ANGEL a special ice cream sundae you have MADE specifically for him.

**> Sit around and wait for Twilight to contact you.**

You suppose that’s… about all there is to do. You don’t have any work to get done at the moment, so now you’d usually be out doing something with your friends, but you can’t do that because you’re waiting for Twilight to contact you, so your other friends probably are too. You guess you could take the stuff Applejack gave you and go do something by yourself, but what would you do? It would feel weird to go to the spa without Rarity, or to practice flying without Rainbow Dash. You might do some reading, but you mostly just read what Twilight recommends, and she hasn’t given you anything lately.

A realization seems to hover kind of close to you, but you don’t quite grab it out of the air.

**> Continue waiting.**

You continue waiting.


	7. The Die Begins to Roll

**> Twilight: Examine book.**

Having arrived back home, you go to your BEDROOM and take out the mysterious TOME Celestia gave you. There are black INK STAINS all over it, including a large one on the front COVER, obscuring any ILLUSTRATION or TITLE that might be there. How NARRATIVELY CONVENIENT.

**> Author: Go jump in front of a moving truck.**

‘Kay.

**> Twilight: Read book.**

Well, okay. But only because Spike doesn’t appear to be around to do it for you.

The first page reads,

“Reader: If you are in possession of this tome, you have come into possession of a certain game. This game is deadly, but those who play are destined to, and cannot avoid it. Therefore, this manual is designed to help you get through the early parts of the game with relative ease, increasing your likelihood of ultimate victory. And the reward at the end is grand enough to merit the game’s heavy cost.

“First, the very basics. The game will begin with two players, one using the server copy and the other using the client copy. The game takes care of connecting the server with the client by itself; once both players have loaded their game onto their computer, they will conveniently be connected. It is really convenient. The session’s leader is typically the first client player to be connected.”

**> Connect with another player.**

You open up the computer and see a program, already open, called BUDDYBRAY, which you can tell is intended for communication. Celestia seems to have already picked out a “braybrand” for you, as well as your FRIENDS, who show up as your “buddies” on the program. Or at least you think that’s who they are. The only one who appears to be available at the moment is Pinkie Pie, so you suppose you’ll connect to her. You guess you are kinda the LEADER, so you’ll use the “client” copy.

\-- mysticalCompendia [MC] began braying at toothsomeFiesta [TF] --

MC: This is you, right, Pinkie?

TF: yepperooski!

MC: It’s time to get started. Put in the disc marked “S”.

TF: in where?

MC: In the computer’s disc drive.

TF: whats that?

MC: Push the button on the side.

TF: whoooaaa! howd it do that?

MC: It’s magic-powered. Did you put in the disc?

TF: i think so!

MC: Alright. Now I put in my “C” disc, and the computers SHOULD connect automatically!

MC: Hm. Nothing’s happening.

TF: whoa, twilight, I can see you!

MC: Wait, WHAT?!

TF: i said, I CAN SEE YOU!

MC: No, I got that, but how?!

TF: You said it was magic, right?

MC: Yeah, but the computer isn’t programmed to do that…

MC: Celestia was right. This game IS crazy.

TF: wait, this is a game? ooh, fun!!

MC: Well, that’s what the book tells me. But apparently it’s dangerous.

TF: dangerous how?

MC: I don’t know. But I guess we’re going to find out.

TF: what should i do now?

MC: Let me consult the manual.

**> Consult manual.**

You open the MANUAL. It reads:

“Once the server and client are connected, the server can manipulate the client’s house, moving furniture, deploying new items, and adding to the building itself. However, this requires ‘grist’, of which the server has a limited amount. There are four devices, called Phernalia, that the server player can deploy without any grist cost. They are stored in the Phernalia Registry, and the first three are called the Cruxtruder, the Totem Lathe, and the Alchemiter. They are rather large, so make plenty of room. The fourth is a sylladex card with holes punched in it.”

**> Instruct Pinkie Pie.**

MC: Okay, Pinkie, you need to—

You hear three massive thuds behind you, and see a card flutter to your side.

TF: lookie what I found twilight!! now what were you about to say?

MC: Oh! You… you figured it out already!

TF: yay! what now?

MC: Let me check the manual again.

MC: It says I need to open the Cruxtruder and release something called a Kernelsprite and something called a Cruxite Dowel.

**> Open the cruxtruder and release something called a Kernelsprite.**

You have no idea which one the Cruxtruder is, but only one of the devices looks like it can be “opened”. You turn a handle and a lid pops off. Two things come out: a weird glowing purple orb and a darker purple crystal cylinder. The orb floats in the air, while the cylinder rests on top of the cruxtruder.

**> Get Spike to read the manual for you.**

You know, this WOULD go a lot faster if you had SPIKE around to read the manual out loud. You yell for him to come up to your room. He arrives after about a minute.

SPIKE: What is it, Twilight? _Whoa_ , what’s all this stuff?

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: SBURB… created it, somehow.

SPIKE: Wow! So what did you need me for?

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Could you read me instructions from this book? I just opened the Cruxtruder; go from there.

SPIKE: Alright. “The next thing to do is prototype your kernelsprite. You can do this twice, but it is wisest to only do it once for now. Choose something or someone who can be helpful without being too powerful, have them touch the glowing, floating orb, and they will become a helpful ghostly guide on your adventure.” I… see where this is going.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want.

SPIKE: Nah, it’ll be cool to be a ghost! And besides, I wanna help you however I can.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Are you sure? This is a pretty big decision; we have no reason to believe this is reversible.

SPIKE: I’m sure.

Spike climbs up on the Cruxtruder and jumps into the kernelsprite. His face appears in it and begins making incomprehensible sounds.

**> Freak out.**

Okay. Okay. You just need to calm down and check the manual.

“Do not be alarmed by the initial appearance of the kernelsprite after prototyping. Rest assured, whatever you prototyped will soon revert to a form resembling what it was originally, and will be able to speak and act just as it used to.”

That’s a relief.

**> See what’s next.**

“You will see a countdown on the Cruxtruder. That is your time limit. When it runs out, a meteor will most likely fall from the sky and kill you. It is possible that this will not always be the case, but my theory is that some other danger will always spawn in its stead.”

Well, Celestia said that her and Luna would take care of the meteors, but if there’s some other danger coming, you should speed up. “Insert the prepunched sylladex card into the Totem Lathe, and load the Cruxite Dowel onto it. The totem lathe will carve the dowel into a totem.”

**> Follow the instructions.**

Right. You get that done, and consult the manual again. “Load the totem onto the Alchemiter’s small platform. A larger Cruxite item will spawn on the larger platform, and you will have to do something with it. I cannot tell you what; the item appears to be different for every player.”

**> Do the thing.**

You do the thing. A crystalline purple curtain, like the kind on a stage, appears.

**> Pull the little rope-hangy-dealy thing and open the curtain.**

What the hay is that thing called anyway. You do not have time for these semantics. Your time is almost up.

You pull down on it, and the curtain opens.

**END OF ACT 1**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this took to come out! Not gonna promise updates at the speed they were at first, because that was when I was on Thanksgiving break. But in less than two weeks, I'll be on winter break, which means I'll have time to post a TON of chapters!
> 
> Please, please, PLEASE comment with your opinion on the story. As always, reader-submitted commands are accepted as well.
> 
> I'd also like to announce a little contest! The first person who figures out the system by which I get the initials for the ponies' braybrands will receive a SECRET piece of information: the author of the manual!!!! Comment with what you think it is!


	8. Danger is Coming to Ponyville

**ACT 2**

**> Applejack: Continue delivery journey.**

Welp, since you’ve already been to FLUTTERSHY’S, you guess you had better go down to your OTHER FRIEND. You never look forward to dealing with that FLIGHTY BROAD and her DRAMATIC HORSEAPPLES, but needs must.

**> CA: Put off Rarity’s introduction for some stupid reason like we know you’re going to do.**

Suddenly, a DISTRACTION happens. You hear FLUTTERSHY yelp loudly from inside her COTTAGE.

**> Go help Fluttershy.**

You sigh in relief and run inside.

APPLEJACK: What’s goin’ on?

FLUTTERSHY: Oh, it’s just dreadful! One of my bird friends just told me that the animals in the Everfree Forest are going crazy!

APPLEJACK: Crazy how?

FLUTTERSHY: Apparently there’s a big fire spreading a few miles in, and a bunch of creatures are panicking and running toward Ponyville!

APPLEJACK: What would start a forest fire? Nopony lives that deep in the forest, and there haven’t been any storms lately.

FLUTTERSHY: That’s the crazy part! She says they think it was caused by a meteor!

APPLEJACK: I think Twilight said something about meteors! This is all because of that consarned test Celestia wants us to do!

FLUTTERSHY: Oh, you mean with the stuff you dropped off?

APPLEJACK: I think so. Anyway, what kind of critters are coming to Ponyville?

FLUTTERSHY: Mostly just squirrels and birds and other little guys, but apparently there’s a horde of hydras coming!

APPLEJACK: …Of course there is.

**> Applejack: Formulate a plan.**

APPLEJACK: Alright. You go and tell the pegasi so they can put rain clouds over the fire. I’ll go and get Twi; she’ll probly know what to do about the hydras.

**> Run to Twilight’s palace.**

You run faster than you’ve run in recent memory for a few minutes, only to find out that Twilight’s palace has completely disappeared.

**> Have a mental breakdown.**

Now why in hay would you go and do something like that? You need another plan. Looks like this’ll be the time to put your HERDING SKILLS to the test once and for all.

**> Go and get Winona.**

No time. Luckily you know a special WHISTLE that you’ve trained her to respond to all the way from the other side of town. You whistle at the top of your lungs and wait.

**> Wait longer.**

Any minute now.

**> Continue waiting.**

She’s probably almost here.

**> Wait.**

There she is on the horizon.

**> Run up to her.**

You run up to her.

**> Go to the edge of the forest.**

You start running, with Winona right behind you. You begin to hear a MIGHTY STAMPEDE off in the distance.

**> Wait again.**

Why would you wait? APPLEJACK told you to go warn RAINBOW DASH and the other PEGASI about the fire in the EVERFREE FOREST!

**> Reader: Groan audibly.**

>Reader: Get the hay over it.

**> Author: Get back to the applebucking story.**

>Reader: Give the author an actual command.

**> Fluttershy: Contact Rainbow Dash over your computer.**

Oh, right! You can use that thing Applejack gave you to contact Rainbow Dash! Well, at least, you think so. Wouldn’t hurt to try.

After several minutes of figuring out how to work this computer, you bray at Rainbow Dash.

\-- songfulKennelkeeper [SK] began braying at barnstormerAscendant [BA] --

SK: rainbow dash, are you there? there’s an emergency!

BA: what is it? also this is fluttershy right?

SK: yes, this is fluttershy. there’s a fire in the everfree forest, started by a meteor impact! you and the other weatherponies need to go and stop it!

BA: on it

\-- barnstormerAscendant [BA] ceased braying at songfulKennelkeeper [SK] --

**> Go to help Applejack and Twilight deal with the hydras.**

Oh dear. You… you suppose you would be rather useful there, wouldn’t you? After all, you did help everyone deal with that DRAGON a while back… But you’re sure they have it covered. You’ll stay here unless someone asks you to come help.

**> Be someone else.**

You are now PINKIE PIE. You just saw your friend SPIKE jump into a floating energy ball and become a crazy ghost, and then you saw your friend TWILIGHT make a crazy curtain out of nowhere, and then after she opened it, her whole castle went somewhere else! Either that or the sun just went down really fast.

**> Know something you shouldn’t.**

Oh no. Ohhhhh no. No no no.

You just remembered seeing something else in your crazy cloud dream. Something terrible. And if the other things you saw came true, then that means THIS will some true too! You need to tell TWILIGHT. But maybe telling her will be what makes it come true! But maybe NOT telling her will be what makes it come true! You decide to keep your mouth shut about it for now.

**> Author: Just tell us already.**

Ha. Hahahaha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the contest from last chapter is still going! Be the first person to figure out where I get the ponies' braybrand initials, and I will tell you who wrote Twilight's manual! Also, please comment with your opinion of the chapter, and please help get this fanfic out there!


	9. The Die Rolls

**> Twilight: Assess situation.**

Okay. SPIKE is still a weird ghost, but now he actually looks like SPIKE. The GAME has transported you somewhere else, somewhere… dark. Time to see what the MANUAL has to say.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Spike, keep reading from the manual.

SPIKESPRITE: Uhh, okay. After interacting with the item you produced, you will be transported to the Incipisphere, an alternate dimension where the game will take place. Each player has their own planet in the area of the Incipisphere known as the Medium. You will embark in a unique quest on your planet, while battling monsters and travelling to the other players’ lands. Your sprite is there to guide you through this, but this book provides extra information to ensure success.

After your entry, your next step needs to be prototyping your sprite again. Pre-entry prototypings grant powers to the enemies you will face in the game, which is why I discouraged you from choosing anything too powerful. However, now that you’ve entered, what you prototype will affect nothing but the sprite themselves. Choose something whose abilities will be useful for the sprite to have, and either touch the sprite with it or have the sprite touch it.

**> Prototype something.**

Well, let’s see. What do you have in the house that would be useful? Maybe some sort of—what’s happening to the MANUAL?

**> Look over at Spikesprite.**

SPIKESPRITE now has a huge ink stain on his chest, and his skin appears leathery.

**> Berate Pinkie.**

MC: Pinkie, what were you thinking? I needed that!

TF: exactly! now sprike has all the book’s knowledge so he can tell you whatever you need to know!

MC: Sprike?

TF: yeah! spike plus sprite equals sprike!

MC: That… actually makes a lot of sense. Both the prototyping and the nickname.

TF: yepyepperooski!

**> Figure out what to do next.**

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Okay, uh, Sprike, what should I do now?

SPRIKE: Well, you should probably deal with them first.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE: Deal with who?

SPRIKE: You know, them. Those guys over there.

**> Look over there.**

You look over there and see two black, scary-looking CREATURES, who have evidently come in through your WINDOW, which now lies in SHARDS on the GROUND.

**> Strife!**

You technically cannot do that, having not prototyped your STRIFE SPECIBUS. But you can still fight them.

**> Throw them out the window with magic.**

You throw them out the window with magic.

SPRIKE: That was easy.

**> Be someone else *cough* ** **Rarity** ***** **cough** *****

I’m sorry, I couldn’t quite hear you. Did you say Princess Luna? You are now Princess Luna.

**> Stop the meteors.**

You thought that was already taken care of. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to check with your SISTER just to make sure.

LUNA: Sister? Has the shield spell been fully activated?

CELESTIA: Yes. It’s running off of our magic, Discord’s, and Cadence’s, without us needing to consciously power it.

LUNA: Truly, sister, thou art an endless fount of exposition.

CELESTIA: I know, Luna, I know.

LUNA: I am… upset that the six no longer have the Elements of Harmony, given that you made sure they obtained them specifically for this day.

CELESTIA: They’ll be okay, I’m sure of it. We need to focus on protecting this world instead of making a new one. We had our chance and we failed.

LUNA: I would not call it failing. We at least prevented our Reckoning, yes?

CELESTIA: Yes. I suppose we did. Unfortunately, Twilight won’t have your amulet to help her do that, as we can see.

LUNA: I stand by my decision to get rid of it. It was too powerful, and too volatile.

CELESTIA: And I am not disagreeing with you. But we can’t be sure we’ll survive this Reckoning. We don’t know how many meteors are coming, and the shield won’t hold forever.

LUNA: Then we will wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The contest is still going, but only for a little while! If you do not figure out where I got the ponies' Braybrand initials before Chapter 11 is released, I will reveal it to everyone, and the secret information that would have come as a prize will instead be kept secret.


	10. The Battle of Ponyville

**> Rainbow Dash: Prevent forest fire.**

Time to get going. Only you can accomplish this mission. Well, actually, there are a bunch of other weatherponies who could do it, but you've got this. Just gotta find the fire and put all the rainclouds you have over it.

You find the fire in less than a minute, but it's bigger than you could have imagined. You get to work putting rainclouds over it, but it's spreading faster than you can put it out.

**> Get other pegasi.**

No time. If you leave now, it'll go even further out of control. Gotta go faster, and hope reinforcements see he fire. Sweat drips down your brow, both from the stress of flying so fast for so long and from the heat of the fire.

**> Be Applejack.**

You are now Applejack. You and your faithful dog stand facing a horde of massive hydras, with no one else in sight to stop them from destroying the town.

**> Get to herdin'.**

You and Winona run around the hydras, attempting to get them in a tighter group that you can lead back into the forest. They do not comply even a little. You appear to be out of your depth.

**> Keep trying.**

You attempt to lasso one of the biggest hydra's heads to pull him back into the forest, in hopes that the others will follow. You manage to get it around his neck, but he tugs slightly and the rope is ripped away from you.

**> Get help.**

You can't afford to leave! You're outta your depth as is; if you leave, the hydras will run rampant! Then another idea dawns on you. You tell Winona to go to Fluttershy's cottage and get her. If there's anypony who can help you here, it's her.

**> Be Fluttershy.**

You are now Fluttershy. You are at your cottage, hoping to forget all the dreadful things going on, when you hear a dog barking at your door.

**> Answer door.**

You open the door and see just what you had feared: your friend Applejack’s dog, Winona. She seems to want you to go with her.

**> Follow her.**

Oh dear. This means Applejack couldn’t herd the hydras, which means you’ll need to—oh no, you couldn’t possibly—but Ponyville needs you—but they’re so _big_ —what’s that?

Angel Bunny is pulling on your mane. He knows you need to go, and so do you, it’s just that—

Ow. Owww. You go.

**> Stare down the hydras.**

Stare?! You can hardly bear to look at these creatures, you won’t be able to—

Angel pulls your hair again. You fly up to one of them and give him your best stare. He runs back into the wilderness, intimidated.

**> Keep going.**

That was actually remarkably easy. You start using your special stare on each hydra, one at a time, until they run back into the forest.

FLUTTERSHY: There aren’t as many as I thought there would be! This’ll be over in no time!

APPLEJACK: Yeah… that’s the thing. Most of ‘em got away before you got here. They went into town.

FLUTTERSHY: Oh. Oh dear.

**> Panic.**

What are you talking about? You’ve been panicking for like ten minutes already! This fire just spreads and spreads and you’re starting to run out of rainclouds!

**> Look over your shoulder.**

What the hay?! Are those _hydras_?!

**> Go stop them, and also get help for the fire.**

You fly into Cloudsdale at near-sonic speed, shout “Forest fire!” at the weatherpony base, and fly down to Ponyville. It’s worse than you could have imagined. Hydras are stampeding wildly, knocking down buildings, and other creatures like manticores and timberwolves are terrorizing, even attacking, citizens.

**> Go up to get a better view.**

You see that the creatures are still mostly on the edge of town; there’s a lot of Ponyville that can be saved. But enough of this time-wasting. Time to get in the action.

**> Attack a hydra.**

You find the biggest one you can and kick him in one of his heads. He becomes angry and starts snapping at you, so you fly away, careful to not leave his sight. He follows you out of town and back into the forest. Success, but it took longer than you would have liked.

**> Be Pinkie Pie.**

Your name is Pinkie Pie and you are _freaking out_! Hydras and timberwolves and manticores (oh my!) are running rampant and destroying the town! You’re doing your best to spread the word and evacuate everypony, but what if you can’t? What if somepony gets _hurt_?! Wait one second…

**> Enact desperate plan.**

You run into the Everfree Forest, follow a path you remember perfectly, and reach it: the Mirror Pool. You jump in seven times as fast as you can, and tell the seven clones to continue evacuating the town.

**> Find friends.**

Ohmygosh, your _friends_ could be in trouble! Of course everypony in Ponyville is your friend, and most ponies outside of Ponyville, but these friends are special! Let’s see, Rainbow Dash and Applejack are tough enough not to need your help, and Fluttershy has her crazy animal skills, but what about Rarity?

**> Go save Rarity.**

Now what _ever_ could you be talking about? You are perfectly fine, thank you, and do not need any sort of saving.

Anyway, a semi-young mare stands in her room. What will her name be?

**> You already said it was Rarity, idiot.**

Your name is Rarity. You adore fashion; it is your passion and your livelihood, as well as all else associated with high society. When you aren’t making or selling dresses, or finding gemstones to put on them, you are a member of the a capella group called The Ponytones. You also spend a lot of time at the local spa. What will you do?

**> Make a dress.**

Well, that _would_ be the thing to do for a pony like you, now wouldn’t it? But what kind of dress would you make?

**> An _adventure_ dress.**

Hmm. It’s an interesting idea, making functional yet fashionable outfits for yourself and the other Elements of Harmony to wear on your various missions. Equipped with pouches for equipment, strong defensive fabric… Yes, this is a creative avenue that simply _demands_ further exploration.

Suddenly, a knocking at your door tears away your attention.

**> Answer door.**

You answer the door and find Pinkie Pie looking panicked.

PINKIE PIE: Rarity you gotta go! Ponyville’s under attack!

RARITY: Under _attack_? Darling, what ever do you mean?

PINKIE PIE: I think there was a big fire in the Everfree Forest and the animals think we started it and now they’re mad and attacking the town! There are manticores, Rarity! _Manticores_!

RARITY: Oh, dear! Are you sure there’s nothing we can do?

PINKIE PIE: Well, if Twilight were here, then she could help, but she isn’t because of a really long complicated story involving some crazy gadgets from Celestia which by the way did Applejack ever come by and drop something off—

RARITY: Pinkie.

PINKIE PIE: Right, evacuating. Let’s go!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I stopped imitating Hussie's random CAPITALS. Just wasn't working. In other news, if, before the next chapter, anyone can figure out where I get the ponies' braybrand initials form, then I shall reveal the author of the journal to that person. If not, it shall be revealed at its normal point in the story. Finally, as always, spread the word about this story!


	11. The Boss

**> Pinkie Pie: Check on Twilight.**

Oh, right! Twilight needs you to do computery stuff in that game! You had better grab the stuff she gave you before you leave town!

PINKIE PIE: Be right back, Rarity! Go ahead and skedaddle out of town, kay?

RARITY: Where ever are you going? It’s dangerous! Let me come with you.

PINKIE PIE: Oh, good idea! We need to get to Sugarcube Corner to help Twilight! I’ll explain why later! Let’s gooooooo!

**> [S] Pinkie and Rarity: Abscond.**

The two of you take off from Carousel Boutique. Sugarcube Corner is just about half a mile away, but that half a mile is fraught with creatures of all types, who will not be happy to see you. You nod at one another and take off running. The way is clear at first, until a chimera comes at you from the side. Pinkie pulls her party cannon out of nowhere and fires a shot of confetti and streamers at its goat face, dazing him, while Rarity delivers a flying kick to its tiger neck. The chimera runs off and you keep running. Two cragadiles cross your path; Pinkie pronks right over their heads, while Rarity takes advantage of the distraction Pinkie causes and runs right between them. Finally, the two of you come to Sugarcube Corner, which is being demolished by three tatzlwurms. Pinkie fires her party cannon in the air repeatedly, making loud noises, while Rarity makes an exceptionally bright light with her horn. The tazlwurms are scared away, and the two of you enter the remains of the bakery.

**> Pinkie Pie: Contact Twilight.**

\-- toothsomeFiesta [TF] began braying at mysticalCompendia [MC] -- 

TF: twilight! monsters are attacking ponyville so were evacuating but im taking the stuff with me so i can keep helping you okay?

MC: What?! What about the others?

TF: theyre evacuating too! aaaalllll taken care of!

MC: No, Pinkie, you all still haven’t entered the game! That needs to be our top priority!

TF: cant we just do it wherever we evacuate to?

MC: Do you KNOW five people willing to have their houses disappear?

TF: but its CRAZY out here! we had to scare off three tatzlwurms just to get into sugarcube corner!

MC: We’ve handled worse. Are the rest of the townspeople safe?

TF: yep! and raritys with me, and i think the other three are trying to fight off the monsters

MC: Get them to go back home. I’ll connect to Applejack as her server player, then Rainbow Dash, then Rarity, then Fluttershy, then you.

TF: …okie dokie lokie.

\-- toothsomeFiesta [TF] ceased braying at mysticalCompendia [MC] --

**> Rarity: Inquire about situation.**

RARITY: So, um, what exactly _is_ that thing you were using to talk to Twilight? And what’s this “game” she mentioned?

PINKIE PIE: Oh, well, it’s this crazy machine from the University of Canterlot that Celestia wants us to use on this _really_ weird mission and that’s the game Twilight was talking about and it sucked her castle into another dimension I think and Spike’s a purple ghost now I mean he was purple before but now he’s even purpler and you have to go back to your house to play the game but first we have to get your computer from Applejack the computer is the machine I was using by the way—

RARITY: I see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The [S] doesn't mean anything, it's just a part of the story that would be a Flash if this were a forum adventure and if i had the talent/resources to do something like that. The ponies' braybrand initials come from the theme song. songfulKennelkeeper=Sharing kindness. barnstormerAscendant=Big adventure. toothsomeFiesta=Tons of fun. mysticalCompendia=Magic makes it all complete.
> 
> As always, share this story with your friends, and share your thoughts in the comments!


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